Episode Notes:

On March 30, Hungary’s parliament passed legislation that gives Prime Minister Viktor Orbán unprecedented power. Ostensibly enacted to fight the COVID-19 crisis, the move allows Orbán to rule by decree indefinitely. It is the latest step in the country’s slide away from liberal democracy.

Prof. Kim Lane Scheppele — the Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Sociology and International Affairs in the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University — joins the Warcast to explain political developments in Hungary.

[ 00:54 ] What are the specific powers that the new legislation grants Orban?

[ 01:11 ] Why is Section 3 of the law the most dangerous part?

[ 03:12 ] From a legal perspective, is there a way for Hungary to undo this damage?

[ 05:00 ] Can the European Union and NATO put pressure on Hungary to change course?

[ 06:00 ] Is Hungary now a dictatorship?